Comprendre l'Intimite: Une forme de pouvoir au sein des audiences de la Commission Bouchard-Taylor

This thesis investigates the status of intimacy in late modernity. It adresses two questions: how should we consider intimacy today? And how can intimacy help us understand social phenomena such as the Bouchard-Taylor Commission?;The analysis is framed by a general context that includes the main elements of modernity and late modernity in the West, the more particular context of Quebec, and the effects of the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States and its aftermath. Additionally, the thesis situates this analysis in the more specific context surrounding the creation and the work of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission. This contextualization combined with a discourse analysis of the interventions themselves helped to unveil dimensions of intimacy that play a significant role in distancing and approaching bodies in public space and therefore have an influence on the differentiation of individuals in the community. In addition, this thesis argues that people are driven to manipulate their most intimate dimensions in order to gain the recognition of others. This is characterized as a by-product of the clash between our capacity for action and regulatory processes that reduce our margin of independence in late modernity.;To answer these questions, intimacy is conceptualized as a form of power that regulates the space of social differentiation that exists between individuals in modern societies. The analysis is inspired by philosophical hermeneutics, but also a series of transdisciplinary approaches enabling us to account for the various dimensions of the issue. The thesis provides a close reading of 64 interventions made during the Quebec Citizen's Forum of the Consultation Commission on Accommodation Practices Related to Cultural Differences, better known as the Bouchard-Taylor Commission. These interventions are analyzed using a methodology inspired by the "Depth Hermeneutics" developed by John B. Thompson, which comprise three levels of analysis: social-historical analysis, discursive analysis and interpretation. I have enriched this method with the feminist insights of Sara Ahmed.